Here is increasing consensus that high-occupancy toll lanes - which reserve certain parts of freeways to carpools and solo drivers paying tolls - are a key solution. As for adding new lanes, that's where the revenue from the tolls can make the project financially feasible, as planners can tap into low-interest loans like the federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Program.
The moves have sparked opposition, with some saying drivers should not have to pay tolls in the lanes after already paying for the construction of the freeways themselves through taxes.Ĭonverting a carpool lane paid with county sales tax revenue to an express lane, as planners refer to the toll lane, actually enables all taxpayers to use the lane without fear of paying a $490 fine, regardless of the number of occupants in the vehicle, it's just that a toll is required for solo drivers, which appears to really arouse the opposition. California motorists are no different than their counterparts in other states where motorists are told that new lanes (as opposed to existing ones) will require a fee to utilize – though in most cases, the toll can be avoided by carpooling. Reyes-Velarde acknowledges the opposition to charging to drive on freeways. County line, costing $223 million to $779 million, according to Caltrans. Another proposal would add toll lanes to the 5 Freeway between Red Hill Avenue and the L.A. County officials are even considering adding toll lanes to the 405 in the congested Sepulveda Pass, and later, on the 105 and 605 freeways. Johnson, head of the Orange County Transportation Authority, said the plan is part of a decades-long, $43-billion investment in the county’s transportation network. Orange County is considering a huge expansion of toll lanes, eyeing the 55, 57 and 91 freeways as possibilities. Darrell E. Toll lanes are in the works along the 405 Freeway in Orange County , the 15 Freeway in Riverside County and Interstate 880 in Alameda County. " California is expanding toll lanes on freeways like never before, not just to raise revenue for transportation projects but to change behavior as well," writes Alejandra Reyes-Velarde, a Metro reporter for the Los Angeles Times, in a comprehensive piece that covers Northern and Southern California.
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